Pumpkin Sunrise

Friday, November 2, 2012

Into the Light

Last night our power was restored around 7:30 p.m. Oh how very happy we were. My husband and I were checking out and checking into a cheap hotel Tuesday and Wednesday. I would come over to the house in the afternoon and start the task of throwing away food from the refrigerator. Here are some thoughts and revelations I discovered:

-I love electricity, internet and indoor plumbing that works :)
-I do not do well under stress and become some what teary eyed and cranky (who me??)
-I found the most kind thoughtful people in unusual places, hotel lobby, restaurants to name a few.
-Kind words soothed my nerves and gave me a smile
-Neighbors-banding together, commiserating, sharing their stress-meant so much to me
-dare I say I see the glass half empty when there is no coffee and shower in the morning?

And now to my resolutions after the no power experience:

-I am not going to hoard food in the freezer and refrigerator. As I threw away package and package of good food gone bad, I saw someone who is not menu planning and using up what is available at her fingertips. Not doing that again.

-After eating out more times than I can count, I am ready for a detox of unhealthy food. I'm thinking of a lentil soup with a tossed salad on the side. Mmmm. Yum!

Most of all I want to thank each and every one of you who commented and wished us well. Your kind words and thoughts meant so much to me. I am truly thankful for your friendship. I am also thankful that our house is fine and overall we were spared any of the devastation that the east coast experienced.

I hope you have a lovely weekend :)

I will be visiting your blogs over the next couple of days, I missed my daily reads!!

So glad you are home safe and sound and life is getting back to "normal." These experiences can be so trying but at least you can take them and learn from them...and share it. Have a great weekend...at home :)

You poor lady. As someone who's off caffeine and managing to grab a shower about twice a week (due to the newborn haze rather than Sandy) I sympathise with your teary moments. (However, I'm a fridge clearing obsessive and highly commend the virtues of an empty fridge at the end of the week, very therapeutic - even though I'm only eating carrots and babybel today!)

I know I take my electricity for granted! A couple of days without definitely gave me a new perspective. I totally agree with the food hoarding. We were about 6 hours away from having to throw everything out. My husband was sick over it. But he is also the one who bought it all! No more of that....

I keep seeing pictures of NY and NJ and realize how lucky we truly were. Have a good weekend.

Hi Karen, glad to hear you are safe and well, I've been away for a couple of days but we've all been glued to news reports and concerned that so many people were affected by the awful weather on the East side...I hope your children didn't have any nasty experiences to cope with.Stay safe and sound and warm.

oh dear karen, what an experiance. i was away too, coming home to find the hurricane bearing down on the east coast, 2 of my children live in nyc. i began praying for everyone, everyliving (and nonliving) thing. and yes, kind words do always always soothe. take good care. xo lori

So glad you are back in your house with power! We lost power for two days last Oct with a big snowstorm. It wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that our next door neighbors on both sides had power as did the folks across the street. We happen to be on the grid behind us. That was frustrating, so I know what your feeling.

I am so glad you are home safe and sound Karen, and so sorry you had to go through all the stress that came with Sandy. How disappointing to have to throw away so much spoiled food, I would be in tears for sure. While I can most of my vegetables, I do have two chest freezers full of meat and seafood that would be a hardship to lose. I hope you have a chance this weekend to put your feet up, knit, read, nap, eat healthy and just relax.

I was following up on you via Twitter. : ) I am glad you are ok and home and that you found some sparks of brightness along the way, in people's kindness.I don't think many people "do well" ultimately, under that kind of stress. It's a great time to be thankful for all you have, as you are. I too feel so much for those people who lost homes and family members. XO

The clean up of the fridge and freezer is never fun after a long period of no power. Glad you are back in your own home with those comforts that modern day life provide us. Our power goes out on a regular basis here. Sometimes for long periods of time if we have had a big storm. I suppose it is the downside to living in a forest. Jacinta

Karen...I'm so glad you are back home! That's a tough spot to be. You made a great point about not overstocking. I may consider this, too. We moved from an area where the power almost never went out to an area where it supposedly goes out often. Maybe a generator purchase is in our future? Anyhow, enjoy getting reacquainted with your home and have a restful weekend!

A time without electricity and /or water brings into focus how MUCH we are accustomed to the ease of our lives... I am so glad things are BEGINNING to return to normal. I wish a peaceful, comfortable weekend for you and yours, Karen. blessings ~ tanna

I'm so glad you're back - I've missed you! I'm glad things weren't as bad as they could have been, but sorry they were as bad as they were. And of course I'm happy that things are getting back to normal! xo

So glad to things are getting better, and I love how you turned a scary and stressful experience into a positive about what you learned about yourself!!! I have some scary memories of hurricanes in FL, but the best part by far was the community coming together, it's something that I won't forget :).